Unexpected Occurances
by BlackRosePoetry
Summary: Lin was considered to be the toughest of the tough, uncompromising and unyielding as the metal she could bend. All it took was two little street rats and a damn rodent to crumble that illusion.
1. The Day Was Bad to Begin With

It had been a terrible day to begin with.

"Officer, come quick! That little thief just stole my dumplings!"

The woman that flagged Lin down was old, heavy-set with piggy eyes and the look of someone who was used to getting her way. By the way she said it, the police chief might have thought those particular dumplings were made of gold. It was everything she could do to keep herself from telling the crone to take a flying leap; however, as the Chief of Police, she had to enforce the law, even at times when the law was crueler than the crime.

Sometimes she wondered what life would've been like if she hadn't taken the oath.

Lin barked an order to her men before heading down the alley that the boy had fled to. She had barely made it halfway through when something caught her eye. There was a broken window, one that led into the basement of an abandoned building. A little voice could be heard from below, tired and scared, and the woman many called the Iron Maiden could feel the steel walls that encased her heart shuddering, warping. She crouched low next to the window, listening to them talk for a moment.

"Come on, Bo. You gotta eat somethin'. You're gonna get even sicker."

She didn't have to hear anymore.

Lin sipped through the broken window as gracefully as she could, twisting with all the experience of her forty years to land almost silently on the dirty concrete floor. She stood there, blinking for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, before pinpointing the young thief's position.

A toddler, four or five at the oldest, stared up at her with wide eyes. His cheekbones jutted out, amber eyes sunken into his skull. Judging by the way his hair was matted to his skull, he hadn't had a bath in weeks, maybe more. Lin glanced over to the filthy pile of blankets he'd been talking to and nearly fell over in shock. Another little boy, slightly younger by his obvious lack of height, was lying prone on the disgusting rags. He was skinny and dirty and very obviously sick. Glazed emerald eyes stared blankly at her, uncomprehending of the situation both he and his brother were in.

"Go 'way! I didn' mean it! Bo jus' needs somethin' ta eat!"

Lin knelt down a little ways away, holding her hands up. "I'm not going to hurt you two. I just want to help."

She tried to make her voice gentle, she really did, but it just wouldn't happen. Her voice was just as rough and unyielding as she was.

The little boy shook his head violently, panicking. "NO! Don' wanna leave! Don' take us!"

Now, Lin Beifong was not a patient woman even on the best of days. So watching this little boy scream and struggle, refusing her help even when his brother was in trouble, set her nerves on edge. She growled. "I don't have time for this!"

She honestly didn't. The Triple Threat Triad was making a nuisance of itself again; Chief Beifong had things to do other than round up dumpling-stealing street rats. So she did what came easiest - Lin took care of the problem with precise brute force. Stomping her steel-coated foot, she created an earth tent around the boy. He shrieked, little fists pounding the stone furiously.

"NO! Lemme out! Lemme out! BO!"

Lin almost felt a little bad for him. Then the tiny, emaciated boy started coughing violently and her resolve hardened. She quickly waltzed over to the sick young boy, scooping him up and holding him close. Heat pounded off him in waves; Lin was startled by how _light _he was, even though she'd gotten a good glimpse of his too-thin frame.

_Bam!_

The earth tent exploded, sending chunks of rock flying across the dirty basement. Lin tucked the smaller boy - Bo, if what his brother called him was true - closer to her chest. The other boy stood panting where her tent used to be. Dirt and ash smudged his pale face, but his amber eyes were bright and clear and determined.

On a better day, she might have admired his tenacity.

Today was not one of those days.

"Leave 'im 'lone!"

Lin growled again. "Listen, kid. Your brother won't make it another day without help. Now, you can either come with me and get help too, or I can leave your scrawny butt here for someone else to whip. It's your choice."

With that, the chief managed to earthbend away most of the wall, stepping out into the warm sunlight with the sick little boy tucked firmly in her grasp. Footsteps pounded on cobblestone behind her. "Wait! Wait! Pwease don' leave me!"

Re-adjusting Bo's position in her arms, Lin extended one hand for his brother to take. A tiny, cold, emaciated digit slipped into her own calloused one. Pity stabbed at her heart for a fleeting moment. She glanced down, only to find a pair of sharp amber eyes staring back up, scrutinizing in a manner far too old for one so very young.

"Are you gonna help Bolin?" he rasped.

Lin blinked and nodded, never slowing her quick pace. "Yes I am. I'd like to help you, too, if you'll let me."

The young boy inclined his head ever so slightly. "Can I have some fire flakes and a bath?"

The steel-and-stone walls encasing Lin Beifong's heart came crashing down. "You can. And your brother - Bolin, right? - will see a healer friend of mine. She's the best in the world, so he won't be sick anymore."

Those too-bright amber gemstones lit up with hope as they reached the old woman's food cart. "Really?!"

Nodding, Lin chose to ignore the nagging old crone, barking orders to her men as she went. Today had began terribly.

She wasn't about to make it any worse by letting these kids suffer longer.

* * *

"The little one is very lucky. His fever was high; a few more days, and the sickness would have killed him for sure."

Katara continued to bend water over Bolin's forehead, blue eyes shining sadly within her wrinkled face. Lin had to admire how calm her "aunt" was in the face of such a terrible thing. Spirits knew she'd never had the tolerance for things involving children. It was why she'd been so adamant about not having them in the first place.

"Do you think he'll fully recover?" she asked. "His brother was very worried."

The knowing smile Katara shot her way only served to make Lin scowl. "Oh, I'm sure he'll be back to normal within a few weeks. Be careful, though; from what I can feel, this one is a powerful earthbender, almost stronger than his big brother."

Lin blinked. An earthbender? That was news to her. Of course, the poor tyke had been so out of it when she'd found him, it was no wonder he'd not shown any signs of bending capabilities. His brother, Mako, on the other hand . . .

Well, Saikhan would be worrying about whether or not his eyebrows would regrow over the next couple of weeks.

Glancing over, Lin noticed that Mako was currently occupied by his cup of leechie juice. She smirked slightly; he was clean, skin free of dirt and hair shiny, and judging by the sleepy look he was adopting, the food he'd received was beginning to work its magic on his toddler psyche. Katara followed her the line of her niece's gaze and smiled gently.

"Why don't you take him to one of the spare rooms?" she suggested. "I'm sure the poor dear could use a nap after all he's been through."

The hardass, stoic, incomparable chief of police managed to look terrified and confused at the same time. She sputtered for a moment, eyes huge as she gazed at the smiling old woman. Finally, Lin found her voice and whispered, "Me? I'm terrible with kids!"

"You had no problem getting him to trust you to find a healer," Katara argued, blue eyes twinkling merrily.

Lin opened her mouth to retort. Mako's loud yawn and sleepy voice interrupted her. "Chief? Can I take a nap? 'm tired."

Ignoring the smug look on her aunt's face, Lin strode over to Mako, extending an arm for him to take. "Sure, kid. Let's go."

Mako pouted childishly, raising his arms toward her. "Carry me."

"No; walk on your own two legs."

"Carry me. 'm tired."

That stubborn look in the little street-rat's amber eyes reminded Lin of herself at that age. She huffed through her nose before gently lifting him off the spare exam table he'd been sitting on, holding his skinny body at arms length. Mako squirmed a little to indicate he wanted closer.

"Happy?" She growled as he cuddled her.

Mako, completely aware of how uncomfortable his savior was, only snuggled in closer and muttered, "Uh-huh."

Katara's quiet laughter rang in the younger woman's ears as she strode away, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity.

Any and all claim she had to that failed when Mako tucked his face against her neck and fell asleep.

**Hey!**

**So, this is my first LoK fanfic, and I'm just praying to God that I didn't make Lin too out of character. I'm just really curious as to how she would deal with smaller children, especially after watching her interact with Meelo. Please leave a review! Positive feedback and constructive criticism is always welcome.**

**Yours Truly,**

**BlackRosePoetry**


	2. I See Fire, Chief

_He saw fire._

_There was nothing but flames, bright and red and angry. It mocked him as scorching fingers consumed everything, **everyone**, he had ever loved. The screams reflected in his eyes; the blood echoed in his ears; the silence made blisters boil on his too-pale skin. _

_This wasn't happening._

_It couldn't be._

_Papa said that the triad couldn't get to them. He was big and strong, and with his firebending he would fight until the bad men went away. And when they came, that's what happened. Papa was big. Papa was strong. Papa fought hard and long, his red scarf blowing in the wind with each powerful bending form he took. Crimson heat washed over his skin. Ash, dirt,smoke, sweat clung to every inch of him. Somewhere nearby, Momma started crying. So did Bo. _

_Then Papa fell, fell down down down to the ground. _

_He couldn't breathe. _

_Momma and Bo were screaming, crying._

_"Mako! Mako, baby, take your brother and run! Get away from here!"_

_He was a good little boy, always eating his veggies and washing his face and taking care of Bo. Bolin, who needed his help tying his sandals and giggled at every stupid joke Papa made. Bolin, who was looking up at him with big scared green eyes and making him feel two inches tall. So he did what good little boys always do._

_He listened to his Momma._

_Bo's hand hot and clammy and shaking with his sobs wrapped itself in his. He ran, ran away from the screaming and the burning and the memories of men with malicious smiles. Men with missing teeth. Men with amber eyes._

_Amber eyes that looked back at him when he looked at his reflection._

_The cold air burned his lungs. They finally collapsed several city blocks away in an old basement. Bolin was coughing violently, face covered with dirt and something brown, something flaky that used to be red liquid. It made his stomach churn; his eyes burned hotter than Papa's fire. He looked up at the stars as Bo sat crying against his shoulder. Papa always said that the stars were spirits looking down from their world, able to see the world and guide those who would listen to them carefully. _

_He couldn't hear their voices._

_He couldn't hear anything except his Momma screaming, screaming for him to _

_"Mako! Mako, take your brother and run! RUN!"_

_get away from it all. _

_Screams ripped from the five year old's too-old throat._

_All he could see was fire._

Mako set bolt upright in his borrowed bed, screaming as loudly as he possibly good. He panicked, amber eyes wild. His mind was back in that night when they'd lost everything and it wouldn't wake up. The little boy sobbed, hitting the floor with a thud when he fought the sheets only to succeed in tangling them around his emaciated body. Somebody opened the door, entered the room. Sheer, mind-numbing terror flooded every nerve in his body, so he did what came naturally.

He lashed out.

Fire, crimson and hot and full of terror, erupted from a tiny fist. The person who'd entered cried out, dropping to the wooden floor next to him. Sense finally returned to Mako when a pair of cool jade eyes connected with his own.

They weren't amber.

He was safe, cool; he couldn't see the fire.

"Spirits, kid, what the flameo happened in here?" Chief Beifong growled.

The little boy said nothing for a long while, opting to stare into her irate _green_ eyes while remaining wrapped up in a cocoon of sweaty sheets. His hair was plastered to his too-pale forehead, and Lin could see his pupils had turned to pinpricks from terror. She could recognize the signs left by a traumatic nightmare; she had witnessed them all too often when looking in the mirror.

Mako's bottom lip began to tremble. He bit it until he tasted blood and refused to let the moisture that gathered in his eyes fall. Living on the streets had taught him that crying did nothing to solve the problem. It only gave you a stuffy nose and a headache, one that no one cared about because he and Bolin were little _street rats_ and _vagabonds _and _worthless pests_. So he stayed strong, looked up at the Chief with a strong chin and burning amber eyes.

"Nothin' happened," he rasped. "I fell an' hit m'head."

Lin quirked a delicate eyebrow as she pulled herself into a sitting position. The kid was strong, she'd give him that. If someone had told her that a five year old street rat could hold her glare without crying, she would have beaten their ass and thrown them in the nearest cell. But here Mako was, looking up at her with only a trace of lingering fear from his dreams.

"You have a bad dream?" she asked casually.

Those amber eyes sparked at that remark, and Mako began to disentangle himself from the sheets. Lin followed his tiny limbs as he struggled with the material, taking note of the various wounds on his skin and the thick ropy scars on his psyche. Saikhan had brought her their files while the brothers slept; the Triple Threats had decided to collect a debt their father couldn't pay. The result was about a block of damaged city, five dead citizens, and two orphaned boys, alone in a world that most likely did not give a damn about whether or not they died.

And if it hadn't been for her, Bolin most certainly would be dead.

The thought was one that Lin found upsetting in an oddly personal way, given that she'd only met the brothers several hours before.

"Maybe," Mako mumbled. He was focused on freeing his foot from an oddly stubborn knot. "'m not a baby. 'm not gonna cry 'bout it anymore."

Lin's heart broke. She reached forward, large calloused hands resting on little Mako's, and slowly began to untie the knot for him. The longer she worked, more patient and yielding than she'd ever been in her life, the more his hands shook. The more his heart raced. The more his little lips quivered and his eyes shone with unshed tears. The knot finally came free; she simply allowed her hand to rest on his foot, feeling his heartbeat through the tiny abused appendage.

"You know, kid, sometimes it's easier to let go of the nightmare if you cry about it," she whispered. "It's okay to miss your mom and dad."

A sniffle. Mako's thin body started shaking violently, so violently that Lin feared he might fall apart at the seams and leave only little boy pieces behind. But he miraculously stayed together, his fragile hand grasping onto her own with all the strength it possessed. She squeezed back, gently as she knew how, to show she was listening.

"I see fire, Chief," he whispered. "It's in m'head an' it won' get out. I wanna cover m'eyes, bu' then I see Momma screamin' and Papa burnin' and it _hurts_."

The Iron Maiden of Republic City pulled the terrified five year old onto her lap and managed to hold him awkwardly while he cried. Mako tried to bury himself into her chest regardless of the metal armor that covered it, just wanting to feel the cool against his burn and the understanding against his confusion. He cried, cried like he should have that awful night but didn't. And here was someone that said he wasn't _just_ as _street rat _- he was a little boy who missed his family, almost lost the one person he had left to cough and fever. He could be a little boy again, hold onto her hand and listen to what he told her 'cause that was what good little boys do.

They listen to what the grown ups tell them to do.

Lin held Mako until the sobs receded to hiccups. "Alright, kiddo, dry it up," she muttered. Her voice was gruff as always, but it held a slight twinge of affection around the edges.

Mako decided he liked Chief. He sat up, wiping his eyes and runny nose with his sleeve, and looked up at her. "C'n we see Bo? I wanna see 'm."

A smirk curled the edges of Lin's full lips. She placed Mako on his feet, standing gracefully even though she was feeling the affects of sitting on the hard floor for so long. "Sure, kiddo. Your brother might be awake by now. Still, better be quiet so Master Katara doesn't get mad at us. Got that?"

Nodding, the little boy followed his savior out the door, already beginning to forget his nightmare. It was easy to do when trying to copy someone with such a stiff posture. He looked around curiously while copying the chief's movements. He remembered being told that this was Air Temple Island, but other than that he he'd been too worried about the old healer lady - Katara, he thought her name was - getting Bo better to pay much attention. It was kind of plain looking; there were cushions here and there, a bed in every other room. The walls were white and the trim was kind of a reddish color.

He shrugged as the chief opened a door.

Still better than that old basement.

* * *

Lin watched Mako and Bolin interact from a corner, arms crossed. The brothers were oddly comfortable with being in a new place; however, she couldn't really blame them for being so happy. This was probably the first time they'd been properly fed and cared for since their parents died. Mako sat on the edge of the cot, stoic and calm as he told his baby brother what had happened. He was far too old for a body so young, but Bolin seemed to make up for that in childish naivety and innocence. The younger brother hung on every word Mako said, eyes wide and emerald. He trusted every single thing that came from Mako to be true, going along with a smile even though his face was still pale and his fever was beginning to return.

A smirk attempted to claw its way onto Lin's face as she sensed a familiar, light-footed presence treading down the Air Temple halls.

"Kid, get down from there before we get in trouble," she called gruffly.

Unfazed, Mako lightly jumped down from his position on the side of Bolin's cot, only for Tenzin to burst through the door a moment later.

"Lin! What is the meaning of this!?"

A nasty sneer curled Lin's upper lip. She stood up, cracking her knuckles, and went toe to toe with the flustered air bender. "Nice to see you too, airhead."

Tenzin's face turned ten different shades of red. He gestured wildly at the two boys standing a few feet away. "Don't dance around the subject! Why do you have two orphans in custody on the island?"

"First off, neither one of those boys is in custody," she drawled. "Second, I brought them here to have your mother heal the little one. Is there anything you would like to complain about Twinkletoes Junior, or may I return to my job?"

The look that Lin shot her ex was dangerous, full of dark promises that she fully intended on keeping if he didn't heed her every word. Tenzin just sighed irritably, running a hand over his shaved head.

"Have you looked at orphanages with openings available?" he asked.

Lin narrowed her jade eyes and hissed, "Look, airhead, don't tell me how to do my job. I'll find an orphanage when I feel that the little one is well enough to _survive_ in one. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm sure Bolin would like to know exactly how he got to the island in the first place."

There was no point in arguing with a Beifong once they had set their mind on something. Tenzin had known that for his entire life. So when he saw the deadly spark in his former lover's eyes, he knew that all communication had henceforth been nullified. He sighed once more.

"I'll let Pema know that you three will be staying the night. Would you like to eat with us, or do you need to eat in here?"

Glancing over at Bolin, who had been reduced to a ball of quivering fluff by their heated argument, Lin replied, "Just have one of the others bring us something. I'm not sure your mother would approve of Bolin being surrounded by other people just yet."

She shoved Tenzin out the door and locked it with a snap of her fingers. She looked over at the huddled mass of toddler on the bed, then turned her attention to the shell-shocked boy on the floor. A tired sigh erupted from her lips. Long fingers wove through tangled ebony curls.

"Sorry you had to see that, boys. The airhead likes to stick his nose in things he has no business with."

Neither boy moved. Decisive as always, Lin strode over, lifted Mako up onto the bed and settled at the foot in a lotus position. "Okay, kiddos, here's how it's going to be. You two were in a very bad situation, and I'm not about to let either of you end up like that again. So that means you two are going to be staying with me until a more permanent solution is found. Understand?"

Mako nodded. The little whimper that _almost_ sounded like a voice was taken as confirmation, too.

Another smirk curled Lin's lips. She stretched, lithe as a panthercat in her white tank top, and shot them both a sly look.

"Do you two want to hear a story?"

Bolin's little head peeked out from under the covers, emerald eyes curious. "Wha' kinda stowy?"

"The kind where badgermoles teach Avatar Aang earthbending."

**Hey!**

**So I had this chapter pretty much all written out, so I decided to go ahead and post it. As you may have figured out, this particular story involves AU. I tried to keep as much about Mako and Bolin the same as possible while still trying to make them believable toddlers. Lin is pretty easy; she's a hardcore badass with a soft spot somewhere deep down in her platinum heart. Still, it would be really nice for some feedback and info on how I can keep her in character when reacting with babies Bolin and Mako.**

**Please leave a review in the lovely little box below!**

**BlackRosePoetry**


	3. These Kids Aren't So Bad

_He couldn't hardly remember what it felt like to be full. _

_The hunger seemed to be there forever and always, like the mole on the back of his hand or the red scarf on Papa's neck. Bolin wasn't always a good little boy - Mako more than made up for that - but he loved his family. Loved his Momma and his Papa. It didn't matter that his tummy grumbled, or that Papa and Momma were always struggling to get them things. All that mattered was that his brother loved him, played with him and tied his sandals and told him stories when Momma couldn't. He was _loved_. _

_Of course, all that changed when **they** came. _

_He had been sleeping. There were always nice things in his head while he slept; food, warm blankets, fire ferrets and badgermoles to play with. But then there was a sound; it interrupted his play session with a group of nice fire ferrets (one named Pabu was especially nice), leaving the little boy alone in the dark. The sound erupted again, leaving him in a quivering heap._

_Papa had lied. _

_Papa couldn't keep the bad men from coming._

_Momma came in with wide green eyes and a scared smile. She scooped him up, pressed him close. He could smell her jasmine shampoo. Soft hands ran through his hair as another blast came from the other room. He whimpered and Momma shushed as they crept into the hall. _

_"Hush, Bolin. Momma's got you. It's going to be alright._

_Somewhere deep deep down, he realized that Momma was lying to him for the first time ever. _

_There was fire everywhere. Papa was big and strong, his bending stronger than most; but the other guy was mean and quick and used his bending in a different way. Papa was playing by the rules from what he could see. The other guy wasn't. He just leered and spat bad things, ugly **amber** eyes sparkling in the fire they both created. Momma screamed when Papa got burned. He buried deeper into her grasp, shaking, trying to block everything out and return to his play-date with the fire ferrets. _

_It didn't work._

_Papa looked over at them, scared, and at once Bolin knew something that not even Mako had realized. _

_Papa was losing._

_They weren't going to be okay._

_The other man sneered at them with **amber **eyes, launched an attack that left Papa falling on the ground. He was quiet and so was the ugly char marks on his face, neck, chest. Bolin couldn't look away. He couldn't stop screaming. He couldn't stop crying. The smoke made his chest hurt, and his head was pounding, but the screams kept coming from deep deep down inside him. Those eyes were haunting him. Papa wouldn't get up. _

_Momma sat him on the floor._

_"Mako, baby, take your brother and run! Get away from here!"_

_What? Why would they leave Momma when Papa was already gone. He didn't understand. He didn't **want **to understand. He kept screaming, looking up at Mako in terrified confusion. A bigger hand grabbed his and pulled him away from the room, from Papa's stillness, from Momma's screaming and the man with **amber** eyes. They ran out the door and into the cold and dark and lonely. _

_He watched those eyes snuff out Momma's._

_Mako hadn't looked._

_Bolin kept screaming. He screamed, cried, bawled for every single step. He couldn't count yet, but he knew they were a long ways away when Mako finally stopped. It was cold here, and dirty, but he was tired and scared so he just followed his brother's lead. Mako wouldn't look at him, just stared off into space while his baby brother remembered a man with **amber** eyes and missing teeth and an angry leer. Maybe he knew his eyes were like the man's. Maybe he didn't want to scare Bo any more. _

_Either way, his silence and distance didn't help._

_The younger brother curled up against Mako's side and sobbed until his throat was raw from more than just smoke. _

_He was scared. _

_He was cold. _

_He was angry. _

_He wanted his Momma and Papa. But nothing in the world would bring them back because everything else was cruel and confusing. Something black, hot and cold, coiled in his lungs. Bolin coughed violently; he never released his hold on Mako's dirty shirt._

_The hunger had come back. _

_But this time, he didn't think he could handle it anymore._

_Somewhere in the back of his mind, Bolin heard Mako scream. _

* * *

Lin realized that being a female was damn annoying when it came to kids.

Somewhere between saving the lives of two street rats and telling them a fantastical story concerning her Uncle Aang and badgermoles, she had come to realize that these boys were alone. And adorable. And - for the time being, at least - her responsibility. The Chief had finished her tale just in time for dinner, allowing Mako and Bolin to dig into their food without commenting on their lack of manners. She scrunched her nose and listed off every single disgusting thing they did in her mind, but she kept her mouth shut.

Spirits above, she was going soft.

They had finished their meals without ceremony, and after one of the acolytes provided her with a cloth to clean their faces, Lin promptly sent both of them to bed. Bolin was still exhausted and sick so even though he was at the age where bedtime proved difficult, he quickly fell asleep. Mako had insisted on sitting on her lap until unconsciousness claimed him, head resting over her heart and hand grasping the collar of her shirt. She was completely uncomfortable with the situation, especially when Katara came in and smiled knowingly at her pseudo-niece.

But for some reason, Lin couldn't find it in her to shove the kid off, not until he was fully asleep.

Now, several hours after the two had fallen into the Land of Nod, she found herself stopping in the midst of doing much-needed paperwork to check on them. It didn't seem to be something she could control. This worry, this _emotion_, was new and out of her grasp and that irritated her greatly; however, the uncompromising woman diligently rose from her seat every hour, padded down the silent halls of the Air Temple, and poked her head into the room the boys sleeping in.

_It's just to make sure they're alright,_ she told herself. _The little one's still sick. He could go downhill pretty quick. _

Eleven o'clock had come and passed. The pen in Lin's hand was placed on the table next to the mind-numbing paperwork on a recent vandalizing of Cabbage Corp, forgotten as she became acutely aware of something. . . . out of balance. She stood quickly, padded down the hall on bare calloused feet in silence on autopilot. She felt something through the earth. A racing heartbeat, panicked and screaming of terror, thudded against the earth, muffled by a mattress and bedsheets.

Opening the door was the easy part.

Dealing with the little boy panicking inside the room. . . that was just a bit trickier.

"No! No! Momma don' weave! MOMMA!"

Lin entered the room slowly, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to the tiny child. He was plastered in sweat; the sheets were tangled around his feet, having been kicked away during his nightmare, and pajamas were on the verge of falling off. His thin face was screwed into an expression of terror, brows furrowed and nose wrinkled and lower lip quivering. Tears ran down his cheeks from beneath tightly closed eyelids.

"Momma, don' weave me an' Mako! We'll be good. I pwomise."

Bolin's voice was a barely audible plea, whimpering for his mother even though he was perfectly safe in the temple. If she was being honest with herself, Lin would have realized that she had absolutely no idea what to do for the sick little toddler's nightmare. Nightmares were a common thing for her - she usually just made herself some tea and didn't sleep for the rest of the night - but the boy needed rest.

Instinctively, she crawled in behind him, propping his tiny head up on her chest and holding him close. Bolin tensed momentarily, put up the barest hint of a struggle; however, he soon sagged into her touch, lulled by a steady heartbeat and comfortable warmth and a familiar sensation of being cared for. Lin just stroked his hair gently, whispering senseless nothings in his ear like her mother used to for her when she was little. The entire situation was unfamiliar and foreign and . . .

Oddly wonderful.

Lin sat there for a few moments longer, content with the light weight of Bolin in her lap and the gentle whirring of a fan overhead, and stared out into space. Mako seemed to sense her presence. He snuggled in close, tucking his head under her arm and curling up into a tight ball of too-large cotton and baby bones. A tiny smile curled Lin's lips. She stroked a hand through Mako's hair once, allowing one finger to trace the curve of his ear, jaw, prominent cheekbones and button nose, before returning to run her fingers through his thick ebony locks a second time.

Sleep was an ever-present figure looming in the darkness, crooning sweet lullabies in the chief's ear even though she knew she had to finish the paperwork. Then Bolin yawned, tucking his thumb in his mouth as his head came to rest firmly under her chin.

Paperwork could wait until tomorrow, she supposed.

She was asleep before the fan could whir once more.

* * *

"Lin? Lin, are you awake?"

Tenzin's calls were met by silence. He frowned severely; Lin had always been an early riser, prone to waking up and doing a kata or two before the sun had risen. Her being so soundly asleep this late in the morning was odd.

Being the profound worrier he was, Tenzin slowly pushed open the door to Lin's room, only to find that the bed hadn't been slept in and her armor as cast haphazardly on the floor. His frown deepened. He swept down the hall, glancing in studies and spare rooms and the courtyards before an idea suddenly popped into his mind.

The boys that Lin had rescued hadn't shown up for breakfast that morning either.

Slowly, as though he didn't wish to be seen, the airbender crept to where the little ones had stayed the previous night. The door was shut, seemingly innocent and safe; for some reason, Tenzin wasn't exactly sure he wanted to see what was on the other side. Knowing Lin, one of them had snored too loudly the night before and had been met with a swift, terrible fate. He slowly opened the wooden door, expecting a scene of horror. . .

Only, there was no blood or guts or little boy limbs strewn here, there, and yonder.

There was sunlight streaming through a perfectly clean window. A fan whirred gently overhead. And two little boys, both emaciated and weak and starved for affection, snuggling his best friend atop the cot they had been provided.

All three seemed to be deeply asleep - Mako even snored gently - and it seemed a shame to disturb such a peaceful (and damn cute) moment. Bolin shifted in his sleep, whimpering gently as his dreams became more vivid. He settled almost immediately after Lin pulled him deeper against her chest, head resting above her heart and tucked snugly under her chin. Both sighed in contentment. Mako snuggled up under Lin's left arm, a tiny smile curving his thin lips.

Warmth flooded Tenzin's heart.

He slowly backed out of the room and shut the door behind him, smiling widely as he contemplated what he had just witnessed. Maybe these boys would be good for Lin. But as for now, it would be a shame to disturb the peaceful sleep of his best friend and her orphans.

Tenzin waltzed down the halls of the Air Temple with a smile that rivaled the rising sun and a new skip in his step.

Back in the room, Lin cracked open a single jade eye, her smiling equaling that of her best friend as she pulled Bolin and Mako closer to her. These kids weren't _so _bad, and the bed was warm, filled with the sound of little boy lungs and a fan overhead.

The last thing that entered Lin's mind as she fell back to sleep was the feeling of tiny fingers wrapping around her own, followed by a quick waft of the honeyed shampoo she'd used on Mako the night before.


End file.
